A treatment for stroke involving optogenetics fires up neurons in the motor cortex by way of a beam of light. This treatment has been shown in preclinical research to improve movement and coordination after a stroke, say researchers at Stanford University in Stanford, Calif.

Plato's Cave, short for computer augmented virtual environment, is a 5D imaging masterpiece engineered by researchers at the Methodist Hospital in Houston that combines PET, MR and CT imaging on multiple screens, including a touch-screen table top, and the ability to use voice commands and game controllers to manipulate and fly-through medical images for better treatment planning.

It may seem like an unlikely connection, but an aversion to kitty litter has led to a very interesting discovery about post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that could one day lead to a diagnostic test and perhaps even a drug therapy,

A New York Times piece reviews recent research on the safety of potential Alzheimer’s therapies that focus on genetic factors of the disease. APOE is a hallmark risk factor and perhaps the most common in those who progress to Alzheimer’s, and often earlier than others.

Superb micro-vascular imaging helps clinicians deliver a more accurate diagnosis. Toshiba is making it possible for clinicians to use ultrasound to see the smallest vessels in and around areas like tumors and lymph nodes, giving them a new way to diagnose disease faster and non-invasively.

A round up of genomics research is presented in this Telegraph anthology of recent articles from international news sources. Millions of dollars are being funneled into a project to "unlock"  DNA, personal genomics could become second nature, and challenges that have held up the science of genomics and its applications are presented.

The FDA has announced that more than 11,000 lab-driven diagnostic tests that have never been regulated will now fall under the agency's oversight. This includes cancer screening and genetic testing, an area of research that has exploded in the past couple of decades.

IBA (Ion Beam Applications SA), the world's leading provider of proton therapy solutions for the treatment of cancer, announces today that it has received combined clearances from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that will enable IBA to market-launch the Proton Therapy specific Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) solution.